Purpose: Short term outcomes of live liver donors are well described; however there are few reports on long term outcomes and quality of life (QoL). We studied long term outcomes/QoL of pts >2 years post donation at a single center

Method: Surveys were sent to pts >2 years post donation. The physical and mental component summary scores (MCS & PCS) were calculated from previously collected SF-36 surveys.

Results

SF-36: The MCS and PCS were analyzed from 191 SF-36 surveys at 4 time intervals. MCS and PCS were significantly higher in our pts than the U.S. population average (p<0.001).

Survey: 126 pts (86% right lobe A2ALL) were identified >2 yrs post donation. 101 pts completed the survey, a response rate of 80%. 92 responders (91.1%) are employed; none of the unemployed donors felt it was due to donation. Of responders, 82 of their recipients (81.2%) are still alive and 66 (80.5%) are in good health. 89pts (89%) felt they were the same or in better health than before donation. 92 pts(91.1%) rated their satisfaction 8-10 on a scale 1 (worst) and 10 (best). 9 pts gave low scores(<7). 6 of 9(66.7%) experienced post op complications(within 1yr). 53pts (of 126 pts; 42.1%) >2 years post donation experienced post op complications. 41 of 53 completed the survey. Of the 41, 35 (85.4%) rated their satisfaction 8-10. Frequently reported symptoms in the 101 pts were incisional discomfort (34.6%), intolerance to fatty meals (23.7%), diarrhea (15.8%), heartburn (13.9%), change in eating habits (12.9%), and flatulence (10.9%). 7 pts (6.9%) reported worsening of medical conditions present before surgery and 37 (36.6%) reported new conditions. 24 pts (23.8%) reported depression either treated or untreated. 97 pts (96%) rated their self esteem as the same or better than before donation. When asked if they would donate again, 98 (97%) stated they would and 3 (3%) were unsure.

Conclusion: Despite higher short term complication rates, donors report good long term QoL and state they would donate again. More aggressive depression screening before and after donation may be an important addition to the donation process. These results further support long term safety of live liver donation.

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